McConnell House

Now that my ears have stopped ringing I'd like to get down to writing a review of this really great venue and the pre-Valentine event we attended. This well-preserved historic setting is a "gracious host" for such special events. Yet I must say at the outset that an otherwise beautiful evening of skillfully prepared food paired with exceptionally fine wines was tarnished somewhat by the actual venue itself. The stark, undecorated bare brick walls served to act as reverberating amplifiers of the happy, albeit slightly raucous crowd of 64 diners. For me, the din of diners' conversations, punctuated by squeals and cackles of laughter simply stifled any polite conversation save for that with the dinner guest on my immediate right. (I was at the end of a table so there was no one on my immediate left.) And to converse with the normally delightful friend seated across from me, I had to either lean well into the middle of the table or shout, neither option conducive to pleasant communication.The noise was simply, bluntly, brutally unpleasant. But enough of the negative. Awful acoustics aside, dinner was absolutely delightful, de-lovely, delicious. We were invited to sip a bit and mingle a while for an hour before dinner was served. During that time we enjoyed a light, barely effervescent Sofia Sparkling Blanc de Blanc while deftly nibbling on dutifully delicate Honey Lavender Goat Cheese Tartlets topped with Paddlefish Caviar. The caviar added just a hint of flavor and texture to the mini slightly tart tartlets.First Course: Herb Crusted Sea Scallops, fork-tender but slightly over-blackened for my tastes. The accompanying Cauliflower Puree was über creamy and smooth, while the Toasted Pine Nuts, Currants, and Chile Oil provided lovely counterpoints in texture and taste. Noticeably absent was the "Shitake Bacon", but although I searched for it via my palate, it was nowhere to be found on this plate. The accompanying Sofia Chardonnay was (just as the Coppola vintners describe it) delicate, light, only slightly acidic (I personally didn't pick up on this) and a perfect accompaniment.Second Course: Seared Corvina on a bed of lovely, nutty, rust-colored Bhutanese Red Rice. The fish had a crisp sear but, depending on how thick your portion was, the fish came across as cooked too dry to slightly moist. (My dinner guests compared and contrasted their portions of this mild-flavored fish, the moist portions being the better.) Coconut Milk, citrusy-acidic Lime, pungent Ginger, and Cilantro combined to give this dish a nice finish. The paired Director's Cut Savignon Blanc was fine for this course.Third Course: Braised Beef Short Ribs and Morel Mushroom Sauce plus Apple and Fennel Salad proved the least favorite of the night. The beef was wonderfully tender and smoky, but didn't pack the punch the aroma suggested. The Morels - one of my all time favorite fungi - were slightly salty and could have been the main part of this course for my tastes. The crisp fennel and thinly sliced apple salad went well with a rather mysterious Lost Colony Red Blend. Again, this didn't have the body I would suggest for this heavy a course.Fourth Course: Vanilla Mascarpone Cream (yum-yum-yummy) and Almond Granola Tuile (slightly inconsistent because it was more mushy than crisp, perhaps since I was the last person served out of the 64) came with a "meh" Spiced Wine Poached Pear. Least favorite of the courses tonight, this was paired with a rare - usually served only at the winery - Late Harvest Semillion.If you get a chance to attend one of these dinners...grab it! It might not be perfect, but it made for a near perfect Valentine Dinner for us. (Just glad my taste buds aren't connected to my taste buds and thus not adversely affected by the cacophony.)

When Chef McConnell puts his name on a restaurant or venue customers have come to expect a certain level of culinary excellence and exceptional service. This was missing yesterday at their Mother's Day Brunch. We were extremely disappointed and will not book an Easter Brunch or Mother's Day brunch again because when you are expected to tip 20% at the very least for service and excellent food and then you see that on the iPad payment screen one can't help but to feel angry. The menu listed on http://mcconnellhouse.com/event/mothers-day-brunch/ states "Menu can change" but one that has come to know this chef and his restaurants would be surprised that 90%- yes, a huge bulk of the menu was not available. For my wife and 2 children under 12 it cost me a cool $177.00. No omelet station, shrimp, salmon, grits, prime rib, etc. The food was cold- luke warm and something you would expect on any strip mall meat and 3. The server looked like she rolled out of bed after wearing her uniform all night and was not very happy to be there. I have to believe Chef McConnell was not on the premises this day. If he were he would have been completely pissed off and embarrassed. It is known that Chef McConnell treats his staff very well and there are many perks. They are taking advantage of you sir. This is not what one expects from your establishments. I am not going to compare it to another local chain restaurant because usually this is the best of the best and to do that would be ignorant and an exaggeration. You failed and lost a customer, I have to believe I am not the only one. All I can say is we are shocked and disappointed.

Beautiful Event Venue!I have a chef crush on the owner Jason McConnell. He has three restaurants in addition to this event house and everything he cooks is fantastically delicious. Tonight the McConnell House hosted Food Truck Fight night. I'm a sucker for gourmet food coming out of a truck. There were several food trucks parked behind the house. The plan was to look at all the truck's menus and then choose carefully. It can be so difficult to choose just one so you may have to try food from several. Each truck has a number that you can text to vote for them. Just in case great food isn't enough for a great time there is also a dj playing party music. The only thing missing was our camping chairs. Since I discovered this event occurs every third Thursday of the month we will return with our chairs next month and plan to stay longer.

I was here for a wedding recently and it was an awesome space. Several different levels (so ladies in heels beware) and lots of seating in different rooms. Heads up! There is a bathroom on all 3 levels so don't get caught in a bottom-floor potty line!They have a large bar and plenty of awesome old jailhouse elements remaining in the renovated space!

This is a very cool venue. It is marked as a historical landmark as it used to be the Franklin Jail. You can still see bars on the windows and there is an old cell door bolted to the wall of the entryway. I'm not 100% sure how many ways this place can be utilized. However, I've been there for a couple of Christmas parties for the Harpeth Bike Club as well as a rehearsal dinner. At one time, it was Battleground Brewery and a very unique bar. They have since closed and now the building is available to rent for events (my assumption).The building is basically three levels. As you walk in, there is a bar and greeting area. You then walk up some centrally located stairs to the main area. On this floor, there is second bar and a substantial eating/dancing area. Then, there is a small sitting area on the third floor. There is also a mysterious stairway that goes to up to another floor. I may have to sneak up there sometime.If you get the chance to attend and event in this building, you should check it out. It's very interesting and makes for a cool experience.

The most gorgeous wedding venue ever! We chose the McConnell House for our wedding reception, and we could not be happier. It was the perfect backdrop for our special day. Guests are still raving about how unique and gorgeous the venue was. From the exposed brick to the beautiful chandelier and fireplaces to the adorable bridal suite, this is an excellent choice for an elegant wedding reception. They were very affordable given the beautiful building and the picturesque downtown Franklin location. The food was excellent, everyone loved it! Kari and Sharon were a joy to work with, as was the entire staff! I cannot say enough amazing things about the McConnell House! I would definitely give them a try for any even that you need to host. Your guests will not be disappointed!

McConnell House itself is a beautiful venue, but the staff at McConnell House is the true value here. My husband and I had our wedding ceremony and reception here and we only have great feelings about the whole event especially because of all the wonderful professional people working hard at McConnell House.The food is done by Red Pony Group and was so delicious! We had some tough critics as guests who made a point to tell my husband that they unanimously agreed that the food was the BEST wedding food they had ever had. We had a southern buffet with pulled pork and brisket and everything was absolutely wonderful even the simple garden salad was impressive! When we had our tasting, we made ourselves nervous by asking for the recipe for the delicious beer-braised brisket to be changed to accommodate a gluten menu; so the chefs made for us a balsamic brisket; it too was just amazing and tender. Our issues with gluten was treated so professionally as non-issues. They so smoothly accommodated in this and everything. Everyone at McConnell House from the managers to the wait staff to the chefs were super friendly and helpful. There was never a moment that we didn't have exactly what we needed. They often anticipated our needs before we even did. I highly recommend McConnell House as a venue. You will not be disappointed. The site is gorgeous as are the people there. Our wedding day would be have been nearly was wonderful if we had gone else where. We were perfectly happy and from what I saw and heard, so were all of our guests. Also, we went with Nicole Wolfe for our wedding cakes per the recommendation of McConnell House and man are we happy about that decision too. Delicious, flawless desserts!